Sunrisers Hyderabad jumped from seventh position to fifth after defending 134 on Wednesday against Rajasthan Royals. It only makes the mid-table battle more compelling, as teams that missed out in the first half of the tournament look to catch up in the second.

Sunrisers are known for defending middling targets and on a sluggish pitch in Ahmedabad, didn't let Royals get close. While the bowling looks in good health, their top-order concerns remain. Shikhar Dhawan has four scores in the 30s but hasn't gone on to convert those. Aaron Finch, after scores of 88 and 44, has three sub-20 scores. In their last game, they had KL Rahul and Naman Ojha in the top four, ahead of David Warner, but they fell short of expectations. There is instability in the batting and while it didn't matter on Wednesday, Sunrisers wouldn't want to routinely leave it to their bowlers to win games.

Delhi Daredevils continue to languish at the bottom and will have to try and win most, if not all, of the remaining games to qualify for the play-offs. Playing at home has made no difference to their fortunes, for they have lost three out of three at the Kotla. Kevin Pietersen is yet to play the type of game-changing knocks he is known for. Their bowlers have struggled for wickets, having picked up seven in the last three games combined. In seven games, they have only picked up 28 wickets. Sunrisers on the other hand have picked up 44 from the same number of games.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils LLLWLSunrisers Hyderabad WLWLW

Where they stand

Delhi Daredevils: Last place, with two wins in eight matches Sunrisers Hyderabad: 5th, with three wins in seven matches

Players to watch

In seven games, David Warner has batted in three different positions. He has played four innings at No. 3, two at No. 4, and in the last game he was pushed down to No. 5. Warner is a specialist opener for Australia but Sunrisers have been reluctant to use him there. Warner likes to attack the new ball but with this franchise, his role has changed to that of an innings anchor. Though he has three fifties, Sunrisers need to find him a permanent slot.

Kedar Jadhav has assumed the role of a finisher for Daredevils, with brisk 20s in his last three innings, at a strike rate of 170.17. He has not been dismissed in any of his four innings. His best chance of getting more crease time is if Daredevils give him a promotion.

Previous encounter

The teams last met in Dubai, with Sunrisers prevailing by four runs in a high-scoring encounter. Aaron Finch (88*) and David Warner (58*) lifted Sunrisers to 184 for 1 and Daredevils began strongly, with the openers M Vijay and Quinton de Kock adding 99. They fell away after that and despite a late surge by JP Duminy, fell narrowly short.

Stats and trivia

Daredevils' batsmen have scored the most hundreds in the IPL (5) but Sunrisers' batsmen have scored none. However, Sunrisers' David Warner has scored two hundreds while playing for Daredevils

Amit Mishra has taken a hat-trick while playing for Daredevils - the only hat-trick by a Daredevils bowler in the IPL. This came against Deccan Chargers - the old avatar of his current franchise

These two teams are. Identically I'll- fated.unless their top batsmen Kevin Petersen& David Warner make really match-turning big knocks both the teams have no chance to find a place in the final four teams .
T20s Punjab,chennai,Jaipur,& Bangalore are the teams likely to reach last 4 stages.
Why Bangalore?the reason is they have real potential.somehow,it is bad luck that is hanging over their head like a Democle's sword.
They could recover.
The other four teams should remember that while they hope to win the remaining matches,the 4 four. Favorites too have matches to play.
As regards Mumbai's opinion after leaving Gulf they have got themselves improved is nothing but a lame excuse.
So the teams other than the 4 favorites I have mentioned above should hope for better performance in the season8(EIGHT).
I am not a negative minded man but I have watched a lot of cricket& experience counts.
MOHALI T 20 or CHENNAI T20 are the likely winners.in these two to choose one is difficult.But MMil

Utpal
on May 10, 2014, 8:46 GMT

@Duniya_Dilwale, first of all Saurabh Tiwary is out of IPL due to injury with Tahir replacing it and secondly admitting that S.Tiwary is a good batsman, even if he is available how do you support the argument he should be played instead of Jadhav who has been in prolific form in Ranji and responsible for DD to get a decent score in last few matches of 150+ with a splendid strike rate of 170+.Substituting KP with flip - flop like Mayank Agarwal is beyond my imagination. KP needs more time, in form or out-of-form he is better than any Ind Batsmen sitting out I guess. however I do believe that Neesham must get a go

Subramaniam
on May 10, 2014, 7:04 GMT

Kings XI only they using there players very smartly.if sunrises need win matches they have to open the bating with Finch and Warner, Dawan should come one down batsman.

good balance side they have good player only they not use to them according to them ability hope dd will come on track son

Dummy4
on May 10, 2014, 6:43 GMT

haydrabad team should let Finch and Warner open for them. They have a good chemistry and Hyadrabad should bank on that. As a captain dhawan should realize his chemistry with Finch aren't working and he should bat at no 3 position. haydrabad has the best bowling attack its their batting that needs to be adjusted.

Utpal
on May 10, 2014, 6:12 GMT

Everyone seems to be concentrating KP issue for DD. I want to point out another one, DD has been sending Shukla ahead of Duminy and Jadhav in last 2 matches, he has been pretty disappointing and secondly there is no logic sending an allrounder with not much hitting abilities ahead of proper batsmen. I would like DD making some changes, Make KP bat at 6. Push Karthik to one spot up at 3 and then Duminy, Jadhav and So on. Shukla hopefully can slog a few in 10 or so balls that he might get. With Imran Tahir likely to play, I am looking forward to this match , DD needs to win it desperately to keep alive their chances of playing in Playoffs and I hope they would..

henry
on May 10, 2014, 4:14 GMT

time for dd to stand down KP... to be honest KP should stand himself down as not only has his batting been a failure , so has his captaincy.
Yes I agree Brendon Taylor should also be bought into the Sunrisers.

Dummy4
on May 10, 2014, 1:57 GMT

WI chairman, sorry, selectors has just removed Darren as Test captain after which he retired from test cricket. I would definitely play him tomorrow if I was the coach. When this guys is upset, cricket balls fear him.

Garolian
on May 9, 2014, 21:53 GMT

Kevin Petersen's recent performances have been most unsatisfactory. His admirers keep attributing his dismal failures to this that or the other but the fact is very clear that he has completely LOST IT. This extends from his performances with England in Australia, which were most disappointing.

The man can't seem to play spin bowling: what sort of a great batsman is he that is all at sea against spin, in in modern cricket? At best he prods and pushes and scratches around before getting out. He has no judgement left of when to go back or to go forward: No confidence at all.

Dehli must be ruing their choice as a luxury which they can ill afford. So he was going to be a sort of high priced, roving mercenary, hiring out to whoever needed him, around the world? Give me a break. Give him a rest.

Android
on May 9, 2014, 19:56 GMT

since kotla is a slow pitch, i think bring rasool in the team for mishra as he can bat a lot better than mishra.....i want to see sammy in and steyn out for atleast one match and see how it turns out..bhuvi and henriques can open bowling wirh pathan karan and rasool sharing the middle overs..this way, the middle order batting would be strengthened with sammy at 5, moises at 6 and pathan at 7.. we knw karan can hit the ball a good distance too..also, bring either manpreet or aniruddha in place of kl rahul because although rahul is a good batsmen with great technique he is just like hanuma vihari in last ipl..very low strike rate and not a good hitter of the ball..need hitters here..

Sreedhar
on May 10, 2014, 10:16 GMT

These two teams are. Identically I'll- fated.unless their top batsmen Kevin Petersen& David Warner make really match-turning big knocks both the teams have no chance to find a place in the final four teams .
T20s Punjab,chennai,Jaipur,& Bangalore are the teams likely to reach last 4 stages.
Why Bangalore?the reason is they have real potential.somehow,it is bad luck that is hanging over their head like a Democle's sword.
They could recover.
The other four teams should remember that while they hope to win the remaining matches,the 4 four. Favorites too have matches to play.
As regards Mumbai's opinion after leaving Gulf they have got themselves improved is nothing but a lame excuse.
So the teams other than the 4 favorites I have mentioned above should hope for better performance in the season8(EIGHT).
I am not a negative minded man but I have watched a lot of cricket& experience counts.
MOHALI T 20 or CHENNAI T20 are the likely winners.in these two to choose one is difficult.But MMil

Utpal
on May 10, 2014, 8:46 GMT

@Duniya_Dilwale, first of all Saurabh Tiwary is out of IPL due to injury with Tahir replacing it and secondly admitting that S.Tiwary is a good batsman, even if he is available how do you support the argument he should be played instead of Jadhav who has been in prolific form in Ranji and responsible for DD to get a decent score in last few matches of 150+ with a splendid strike rate of 170+.Substituting KP with flip - flop like Mayank Agarwal is beyond my imagination. KP needs more time, in form or out-of-form he is better than any Ind Batsmen sitting out I guess. however I do believe that Neesham must get a go

Subramaniam
on May 10, 2014, 7:04 GMT

Kings XI only they using there players very smartly.if sunrises need win matches they have to open the bating with Finch and Warner, Dawan should come one down batsman.

good balance side they have good player only they not use to them according to them ability hope dd will come on track son

Dummy4
on May 10, 2014, 6:43 GMT

haydrabad team should let Finch and Warner open for them. They have a good chemistry and Hyadrabad should bank on that. As a captain dhawan should realize his chemistry with Finch aren't working and he should bat at no 3 position. haydrabad has the best bowling attack its their batting that needs to be adjusted.

Utpal
on May 10, 2014, 6:12 GMT

Everyone seems to be concentrating KP issue for DD. I want to point out another one, DD has been sending Shukla ahead of Duminy and Jadhav in last 2 matches, he has been pretty disappointing and secondly there is no logic sending an allrounder with not much hitting abilities ahead of proper batsmen. I would like DD making some changes, Make KP bat at 6. Push Karthik to one spot up at 3 and then Duminy, Jadhav and So on. Shukla hopefully can slog a few in 10 or so balls that he might get. With Imran Tahir likely to play, I am looking forward to this match , DD needs to win it desperately to keep alive their chances of playing in Playoffs and I hope they would..

henry
on May 10, 2014, 4:14 GMT

time for dd to stand down KP... to be honest KP should stand himself down as not only has his batting been a failure , so has his captaincy.
Yes I agree Brendon Taylor should also be bought into the Sunrisers.

Dummy4
on May 10, 2014, 1:57 GMT

WI chairman, sorry, selectors has just removed Darren as Test captain after which he retired from test cricket. I would definitely play him tomorrow if I was the coach. When this guys is upset, cricket balls fear him.

Garolian
on May 9, 2014, 21:53 GMT

Kevin Petersen's recent performances have been most unsatisfactory. His admirers keep attributing his dismal failures to this that or the other but the fact is very clear that he has completely LOST IT. This extends from his performances with England in Australia, which were most disappointing.

The man can't seem to play spin bowling: what sort of a great batsman is he that is all at sea against spin, in in modern cricket? At best he prods and pushes and scratches around before getting out. He has no judgement left of when to go back or to go forward: No confidence at all.

Dehli must be ruing their choice as a luxury which they can ill afford. So he was going to be a sort of high priced, roving mercenary, hiring out to whoever needed him, around the world? Give me a break. Give him a rest.

Android
on May 9, 2014, 19:56 GMT

since kotla is a slow pitch, i think bring rasool in the team for mishra as he can bat a lot better than mishra.....i want to see sammy in and steyn out for atleast one match and see how it turns out..bhuvi and henriques can open bowling wirh pathan karan and rasool sharing the middle overs..this way, the middle order batting would be strengthened with sammy at 5, moises at 6 and pathan at 7.. we knw karan can hit the ball a good distance too..also, bring either manpreet or aniruddha in place of kl rahul because although rahul is a good batsmen with great technique he is just like hanuma vihari in last ipl..very low strike rate and not a good hitter of the ball..need hitters here..

praneet
on May 9, 2014, 19:48 GMT

Please take Brendon Taylor in place of Finch and bring back Sammy

Android
on May 9, 2014, 19:27 GMT

being a sunriser fan I wud love to see a change in opening pair sikhar
has to step down and place warner
top of the order. naman ojha will b
also a gud choice to open the innings
get back sammy in he is a terrefic
finisher.

Dummy4
on May 9, 2014, 19:12 GMT

Good game for srh.after a astonishing win over RR,with most economical bolling performance of the season so far ,srh couldn't have ask for a better team to face of. DD a team with high expectations yet again failed to provide good results. And clearly struggling to the bottom. This team is full of disarray and lack of confidence shows up every time they come out. I think srh will easily come over dd, this match will also encourage few batsman to prove they are praiseworthy. So watch out for dawan finch warner k.p and vijay. As far as bolling is concern srh clearly has an edge,they are far more better then any other team of the tournament. For dd bolling is too ordinary to win them a match,so best possible way to win this game would be chasing. I personally don't fell dd has been picking up the best possible team.with r.tailor,s.tiwary ,j.nessham, sitting in the bench you are lacking match winners. Hope to see few changes for dd,as they are almost out of the contingent.

Cricket
on May 9, 2014, 19:03 GMT

DD has actually been playing well. Just some sloppy execution in their bowling and some hard luck has pulled them down. They need to find some enthusiasm and energy and hope for some luck to shine on them. If they can string together a couple of wins I am sure they will go a long way in the chase for the playoffs. As for changes, They could think about bringing Tahir in who was in good form in the World T20, but again the question is at who's cost? Parnell, de Kock and Duminy have been doing well. KP hasn't hit his stride yet but he is the captain and if he fires, he can destroy any team. So some tough decisions for DD but hopefully they can pull through.

Krishna
on May 9, 2014, 18:48 GMT

I would like to see pervez rasool in the playing 11 of sunrisers as his off spin will come handy along with legspin of Mishra and Karn Sharma.Bring in Brendon Taylor as Wicketkeeper instead of Ojha and Finch, Warner and Steyn as other 3 overseas players.

Dummy4
on May 9, 2014, 13:49 GMT

Get Brandon Taylor in there!

No featured comments at the moment.

Dummy4
on May 9, 2014, 13:49 GMT

Get Brandon Taylor in there!

Krishna
on May 9, 2014, 18:48 GMT

I would like to see pervez rasool in the playing 11 of sunrisers as his off spin will come handy along with legspin of Mishra and Karn Sharma.Bring in Brendon Taylor as Wicketkeeper instead of Ojha and Finch, Warner and Steyn as other 3 overseas players.

Cricket
on May 9, 2014, 19:03 GMT

DD has actually been playing well. Just some sloppy execution in their bowling and some hard luck has pulled them down. They need to find some enthusiasm and energy and hope for some luck to shine on them. If they can string together a couple of wins I am sure they will go a long way in the chase for the playoffs. As for changes, They could think about bringing Tahir in who was in good form in the World T20, but again the question is at who's cost? Parnell, de Kock and Duminy have been doing well. KP hasn't hit his stride yet but he is the captain and if he fires, he can destroy any team. So some tough decisions for DD but hopefully they can pull through.

Dummy4
on May 9, 2014, 19:12 GMT

Good game for srh.after a astonishing win over RR,with most economical bolling performance of the season so far ,srh couldn't have ask for a better team to face of. DD a team with high expectations yet again failed to provide good results. And clearly struggling to the bottom. This team is full of disarray and lack of confidence shows up every time they come out. I think srh will easily come over dd, this match will also encourage few batsman to prove they are praiseworthy. So watch out for dawan finch warner k.p and vijay. As far as bolling is concern srh clearly has an edge,they are far more better then any other team of the tournament. For dd bolling is too ordinary to win them a match,so best possible way to win this game would be chasing. I personally don't fell dd has been picking up the best possible team.with r.tailor,s.tiwary ,j.nessham, sitting in the bench you are lacking match winners. Hope to see few changes for dd,as they are almost out of the contingent.

Android
on May 9, 2014, 19:27 GMT

being a sunriser fan I wud love to see a change in opening pair sikhar
has to step down and place warner
top of the order. naman ojha will b
also a gud choice to open the innings
get back sammy in he is a terrefic
finisher.

praneet
on May 9, 2014, 19:48 GMT

Please take Brendon Taylor in place of Finch and bring back Sammy

Android
on May 9, 2014, 19:56 GMT

since kotla is a slow pitch, i think bring rasool in the team for mishra as he can bat a lot better than mishra.....i want to see sammy in and steyn out for atleast one match and see how it turns out..bhuvi and henriques can open bowling wirh pathan karan and rasool sharing the middle overs..this way, the middle order batting would be strengthened with sammy at 5, moises at 6 and pathan at 7.. we knw karan can hit the ball a good distance too..also, bring either manpreet or aniruddha in place of kl rahul because although rahul is a good batsmen with great technique he is just like hanuma vihari in last ipl..very low strike rate and not a good hitter of the ball..need hitters here..

Garolian
on May 9, 2014, 21:53 GMT

Kevin Petersen's recent performances have been most unsatisfactory. His admirers keep attributing his dismal failures to this that or the other but the fact is very clear that he has completely LOST IT. This extends from his performances with England in Australia, which were most disappointing.

The man can't seem to play spin bowling: what sort of a great batsman is he that is all at sea against spin, in in modern cricket? At best he prods and pushes and scratches around before getting out. He has no judgement left of when to go back or to go forward: No confidence at all.

Dehli must be ruing their choice as a luxury which they can ill afford. So he was going to be a sort of high priced, roving mercenary, hiring out to whoever needed him, around the world? Give me a break. Give him a rest.

Dummy4
on May 10, 2014, 1:57 GMT

WI chairman, sorry, selectors has just removed Darren as Test captain after which he retired from test cricket. I would definitely play him tomorrow if I was the coach. When this guys is upset, cricket balls fear him.

henry
on May 10, 2014, 4:14 GMT

time for dd to stand down KP... to be honest KP should stand himself down as not only has his batting been a failure , so has his captaincy.
Yes I agree Brendon Taylor should also be bought into the Sunrisers.

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